MATTAPOISETT — They couldn’t have picked a more fitting day to celebrate the beauty of nature.

On an unseasonably warm afternoon, covered by a blue sky dotted with cottony clouds, visitors to the Mattapoisett Museum observed Earth Day Friday, April 22 by making a compost in a bottle, patting goats and soaking in the sunshine.

The Earth Day celebration was led by Ruby Pasquill and Jonathan MacDougall, co-owners of Emerald Heirloom Farm in Mattapoisett. They brought their year-old Nigerian dwarf goats Maple and Lena and a lesson in composting to the front lawn of the Mattapoisett Museum.

“We want to teach kids about the importance of being outside,’’ Pasquill said. “Kids today are so screen-involved. Earth Day is the perfect day to celebrate the earth.’’

Children learned how to combine grass clippings, leaves, dirt, shredded newspapers and food scraps in a plastic bottle to create  their own compost. 

They squirted water into the bottle to dampen the mixture, covered the bottle with its original top, and in a few weeks time can have nutrient-rich dirt for gardening or to use for potting plants.

Even goats can enrich a sustainable lifestyle, Pasquill said. The personable animals can produce milk and meat _ although her two goats are not bred to be eaten _ while making less waste and taking less space than more traditional farm animals such as cows, Pasquill said.

The composting lesson intrigued Amanda Griswold of Marion, who brought her daughters Juniper Griswold, 6, and Azalea Griswold, 3.

“We’re excited about Earth Day,’’ Griswold said. “We wanted to learn’’ about sustainability and composting and “how to lessen our carbon footprint.’’

Juniper said she learned an important lesson that applies on Earth Day and the 364 others each year. 

“Don’t leave trash behind.’’